, 1887-09-15
Quarantine of Vessels.

Chapter CLIX of the Code of
Washington territory under the above
caption defines the duties required to
be performed under that Act, which
in brief may be summed up as fol-
lows: Section 2196 says, The mas
ter OF every vessel arriving at any
port in the collecting district of Pu-
get Sound, having Oh board any per-
sons infected with plague, smallpox,
or other malignant, infectious or pes
tilential disease, or who may have
been SO infected during the voyage,
&c, shall forthwith give notice there.
of to the health officer; and if any
such master or other person having
charge of such vessel shall neglect to
give such notice, he shall be fined
not exceeding five thousand dollars,
or may be Imprisoned not exceeding
six months or both"
1t will be observed that nothing is
said about vessels arriving from for
eign ports or from sea, but, CARRYING
at any port with sickness on board"
A vessel arriving at Port Townsend,
for instance from Tacoma or Port.
land is under the same restrictions as
one from Victoria.
Now in order to ascertain if there
is sickness on board of any vessel ar
irving from distant port or from an
infected district, the Board of Health
have directed the health officer to
board such vessels and examine them
as it is well known that some cap
tains will not report aickness, fear
ing that their vessels may be subject
to be quarantined. This is right and
in accordance with law, but it is not
right, nor is there any portion of the
quarantine law which authorizes the
health officer to board vessels coming
from Victoria, and demanding o fee
because Victoria is a foreign port.
There Is no contagious epidemic sick
ness in Victoria or British Columbia.
any more than there is at Portland,
Astoria or Tacoma, and we hold that
such fees should be extorted from
vessels coming from Victoria any
more than from Neah Bay.
Section 2186 says the Board of
Health shall make such regulations
respecting quarantining of vessels, as
may be deemed just and reasonable
as the public safety may require.
Now the public safety does not re
quire that steamers coming daily from
Victoria should pay health officers
fee any more than the steamer Dis
patch should pay fee for coming up
from Cape Flattery, Port Townsend
is the only town on the Sound which
has to suffer from the extortioG and
we are tabooed to the extent of hav-
ing to pay extra fare on every steam
ers that pay health officers fees. We
do not blame that officer, he only gets
what the Board of Health authorize
him to take, nor do we particularly
blame the Beard of Health in the
course they have adopted, we simply
think they are mistaken in their pol
icy which has not been for the public
good. but we think the law itself is
wrong. The Board of Health is foI
the public good and the health officer
Is for the public good; and the pub
lie, whose good is sought, should pay
the officer and not lay a grevious tax
upon the commerce of the Sound
We hope the next Legislature will
alter the law and make the office OF
health officer salaried one to be paid
by the territory. 1t is right and pro.
per that there be Board of Health
for the district of Puget Sound, and
it is right and proper that there
should be health officer, but the
territory and not commerce should
pay his fees